


Trust Issues

by 18lzytwner



Series: ThunderCats Second Series [4]
Category: Thundercats (1985)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-18
Updated: 2007-08-18
Packaged: 2019-07-03 17:59:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 14,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15824052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: A ship is found floating off of New Thundera. It appears to be empty but is it really? Will the ThunderCats be able to beat an enemy they cannot see?





	1. Chapter 1

Three years had passed since Lynx-O's death and New Thundera was prospering as well as Third Earth. The Thunder Guard's numbers had increased substantially and they now had two hundred members on Third Earth and almost two thousand on New Thundera. Lion-O still held his position as Lord of the ThunderCats and King of Thundera. Cheetara was now Queen and they had a beautiful one-year-old girl cub named Sahara. Snarf was once again a doting nursemaid, which made him happier than a clam.

Pumyra and Ben-Gali had made their relationship official two years ago and now they were expecting their first cub. The ThunderKittens were older and more mature, both having grown quite a bit. Each were now more involved in every aspect of the Lair's care. This gave Panthro more time to teach all types of engineering at the new university. He of course still tinkered at the Lair and often held his student's labs there. Snarfer had assumed most of the maintenance tasks and sometimes acted as a teacher's aide when Panthro was on duty.

Tygra was also teaching at the university covering medical and architectural topics. His relationship with Lion-O was still strained despite the time that had passed. One of the Code of Thundera's rules had been bent and it still cause friction at times. Truth was one of the most important parts of the Code and the fact that Tygra never came forward with his feelings on the whole situation did not sit well.

However today seemed to be going very smoothly. Currently everything was quiet and tasks were being completed as they usually did. A knock on the door interrupted the Lord of the ThunderCats reading of Third Earth's weekly report.

"I have something we need to discuss." Cheetara smiled as she poked her head in the door.

"Oh and what could that be my dear?" Lion-O gave a smile back.

"Someone wants to see you. Do you have some time?" She wondered. Lion-O cocked his head to the side.

"Well who could be wanting to see me so close to lunch?" He smirked.

"A little cat who would love to eat lunch with her daddy." Cheetara pulled her whole body into the office and showed that she held Sahara. The baby stretched her arms out reaching for the lion.

"Dada."

"Hello baby." He took the cub from the cheetah and gave her a hug.

"Someone is looking like their mother more and more each day. Why don't we get lunch and leave that weekly report for later?" The lion asked his daughter.

"Dada." Was Sahara's reply.

"I'll take that as a yes." Lion-O smiled and the three headed off to enjoy a meal together.

"How are things going over on Third Earth?" Cheetara asked as they entered the kitchen.

"Pretty good. Still a little rough with the new troops we sent over but that's to be expected. Everyone has to get used to the difference between here and there." Her husband explained. They began pulling food out of the refrigerator when Pumyra waddled in.

"Great Jaga these weird cravings will be the death of my waist yet." She said as she saw the others.

"Oh that bad huh? I don't remember having such trouble." Cheetara smiled and put a jar of peanut butter on the counter and was digging around for some bread.

"As I recall I was running back and forth to the kitchen an awful lot." Lion-O teased as he helped the puma into a chair.

"It's my metabolism, I can't help it." The cheetah smacked him playfully on the rear.

"Yeah well can one of you make me a chicken salad sandwich with a side of chocolate sauce?" Pumyra wondered.

"I think I just lost my appetite." Lion-O gagged.

"Oh shush. I'll take care of it while you get Sahara going." Cheetara smirked. Ten minutes would pass before the COM on the wall interrupted them.

"Is Lion-O down there?" Ben-Gali's voice came over the airwaves.

"Figures he calls for you and not his wife." Pumyra cracked a joke. The Lord of the ThunderCats smiled and got up and pressed the "reply" button.

"I'm here. What is it Ben-Gali?"

"I have a ship requesting permission to land on New Thundera but I can't get where the ship is coming from and it's serial number. The same message just repeats without saying either one." The white tiger replied.

"All right. I'll be up in a minute." Lion-O told him.

"Ok." Ben-Gali answered. The transmission stopped and the lion excused himself from the room and headed up to the control center.


	2. Chapter 2

Lion-O arrived in the control room and Ben-Gali immediately turned the message on over the main speakers. "This is Captain Hobart. We request permission to land." The voice said. "Give your serial number and purpose for landing." Lion-O replied. "This is Captain Hobart. We request permission to land." The message was the same.

"I've been trying to reach them on alternate frequencies but I've had no luck. I have sent the name through the databases but I still have no answer yet." Ben-Gali explained.

"Have you run a thermal scan of the ship?" The lion asked.

"I did but the computer could not find any sign of life. It doesn't make any sense." His friend said.

"You're right because even a recording would have had the serial number and where the ship and crew were from. Call Panthro up and get him over here. We'll need to bring the ship in ourselves and contain it. I'll call the Thunder Guard in to set up a containment area." Lion-O told him.

"All right." Ben-Gali grabbed the phone handset while the Lord of the ThunderCats went to the wall and pressed the COM link between the Lair and the Thunder Guard barracks. Once the orders had been given, he called down to the kitchen.

"Have Snarf look after Sahara, I need you up here." He told Cheetara.

"Ok, I'll be up in five minutes." She said. The call ended and she quickly found the loyal snarf. With the babysitting taken care of the cheetah raced up to the control room.

"Sorry I had to end lunch but we're bringing in this ship and I've got a containment crew working on the ground. You, Panthro, and I are going to take the Feliner up. I have Tygra and the Kittens helping the Thunder Guard while Ben-Gali mans the radio." Lion-O informed her.

"Is Panthro here yet?" She wondered.

"He will be in about two minutes." Her husband answered. Sure enough, the ThunderTank roared over the hill and the panther hopped out.

"We ready to go?" He asked.

"The Feliner is all set. By the time we get up there and bring the ship down, the containment center should be ready to go." Lion-O said.

"All right, let's do it." Panthro smiled and the three climbed into the Feliner.

"Ramp out." Panthro told them.

"Thrusters primed." Cheetara replied.

"All systems go." Lion-O pressed the ignition button and the large spacecraft took off towards the atmosphere.

It didn't take long for the Feliner to reach the strange ship that floated not far from New Thundera's environment.

"Something feels very weird about this." Cheetara said, looking to Lion-O.

"I agree but we can't leave the ship here in case it's orbit decays. It would crash and possibly hurt someone." He told her.

"It seems like a lose/lose situation but once we get that thing on the ground we can check it out." Panthro told them as he engaged the tractor beam.

"Feliner to New Thundera, we have the package." The panther said over the radio.

"Roger that Feliner. Bring it in easy. We have the containment center ready. All wee have to do is drop the lid when you get in." Ben-Gali replied.

"Ok. See you soon. Over and out." Panthro ended the call and the three ThunderCats piloted the ship with the other ship towards the planet's atmosphere.

It didn't take long to get back toward Cat's Lair. The tricky part was landing both vehicles at the same time and getting the smaller ship into the containment center. But with a little skill and a lot of luck, as Panthro said, they managed to get it done. Then the Thunder Guard sealed up the top of the area and it was ready to go. The ThunderCats then donned their protective suits and went into the plastic coated region.


	3. Chapter 3

"All right, can everyone hear me?" Lion-O asked through the radio in his protective helmet.

"Yes." Replied Panthro, Cheetara, Tygra, and the ThunderKittens.

"Good. Any ideas on how we can get this thing open?" The lion wondered.

"There should be a hatch somewhere that we can pry open. WilyKat, find us some pry bars." Panthro said. The teenage cat nodded and took off. Everyone else walked around the strange ship. The markings had been etched over and Tygra called Lion-O.

"Look at this. It appears that the original call name and numbers were stamped over. The tiger showed him by pointing out the large scratches.

"That would explain why Ben-Gali couldn't find the ship in the database. Can we get the numbers to come up somehow and find out what the identification is?" The Lord of the ThunderCats asked.

"I can try." Tygra told him.

"Have WilyKit help you." Lion-O nodded. The tiger acknowledged with a nod of his own and went to get the other half of the twins and some equipment.

On the other side of the ship, Cheetara found a crack and figured she'd found what they were looking for. The cheetah was about to call attention to her comrades when her hand pushed something on the side of the ship. Pressurized steam shot out of the holes that surrounded the hatch and the large door lowered itself. Within a few seconds, Lion-O, Panthro, and WilyKat arrived next to her.

"I guess we don't need those pry bars WilyKat." The panther said.

"Figures." Kat mumbled. The four ThunderCats entered the ship and looked around. There didn't appear to be anyone there.

"Panthro and WilyKat, go right; we'll go left." Lion-O told them. The panther gave a nod and the four separated. As the lion and cheetah moved through the ship, they found evidence of the crew but no actual crew. Uniforms lay in chairs and over the computer panels on the bridge. Lion-O examined the panels while Cheetara looked around. She couldn't help the feeling that someone or something was watching them.

"Look what I found." The Lord of the ThunderCats called out. Cheetara looked over at him and he pointed out a button that was pushed half way down near what they both assumed was the captain's. Lion-O pressed the green button all the way down. "This is Captain Hobart. We request permission to land. My crew and I come from the planet Solvay. Our serial number is Alpha Beta three six four seven Zulu." The message ended. Cheetara gave a thoughtful look from her spot near what seemed to be the pilot's seat.

"Well that answers one question." She raised her eyebrows.

"I guess so but what's up with all the clothes? Where are the people who are supposed to be in them?" Her husband wondered.

"Seems to me all we keep getting is questions. We still don't know why they were coming to New Thundera." Cheetara said. "We don't even know if this is where they wanted to land. I'm going to have Ben-Gali check into the serial number. Let's try to find the captain's log. Maybe we can shed some light on what happened with it." Lion-O told her.

"Good idea. I wonder if Panthro and WilyKat found anything." The cheetah said as she moved toward a chair that was in the middle of the bridge. She touched the arm of the chairs and suddenly Lion-O vanished. People appeared around her and they continued on with their assigned tasks. They took no notice of her and she watched them for a few moments until the door in the back of the bridge opened. The captain stepped through it and the people around her straightened and saluted before getting back to work. Then the captain came toward his seat and went through her as he sat down. He pressed a yellow button and then he was gone. Sucked back into the present, the cheetah whipped her head around. Lion-O heard the racket she was making with her suit and looked over at her.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"Did you see that?" She wondered.

"See what?" The lion came to her side and looked into her brown eyes. Cheetara answered his question by reaching behind her and pressing the yellow button. Up popped some sort of blue disk and she removed it from the chair arm.

"How'd you know to do that?" Lion-O gave her a concerned look. "I had a vision but not like one I've ever had before." She told him.

"Let's get out of here and find the others. We have what we need." He said.


	4. Chapter 4

The six ThunderCats returned to the control room and met Ben-Gali there. The white tiger turned to them and asked,

"Did you find anything?"

"Mostly clothes without any owners and some tasks half done but nothing to indicate how long they'd been there." Panthro told him.

"I found the serial number and what planet they were from. Cheetara found what we think is the captain's log." Lion-O informed the group.

"WilyKit and I were able to raise the serial number despite someone's attempt to remove it and it matches the one Lion-O found. However there is no explanation as to why or who would have tried to remove it." Tygra spoke up.

"All right well I'll run the number and see what I can get off that disk." The white tiger smiled.

"I'll help you." Panthro offered. Ben-Gali gladly accepted the help and the rest went off to do their own tasks. Cheetara and Lion-O headed down to the nursery where Snarf and Sahara were. Neither one discussed what happened on the ship. It was still confusing to them and they really weren't sure how it happened.

They walked into the nursery and Snarf put his finger to his lips and shooed them from the room.

"She just went down for a nap about ten minutes ago." The loyal snarf said. Both parents smiled.

"Thanks Snarf." The Lord of the ThunderCats told him.

"My pleasure Lion-O. She is such a good baby." He smiled. The three walked toward the bedchambers. Cheetara was feeling awfully tired all of a sudden and she didn't even bother to take her uniform off as she collapsed onto the bed she and Lion-O shared.

"Are you all right?" Her husband asked.

"I'm not sure. In the ship I felt as though we were being watched and then I had that vision. Now I feel as though I've been drained and all I want to do is fall asleep." Cheetara sighed.

"Could it be the after affects of the vision? Whenever your sixth sense kicks in, you do get tired." The lion wondered.

"It could be." She said. Lion-O climbed onto the bed and rolled her over. Gently he pulled her to him and wrapped his big muscular arms around her shoulders. She snuggled into his chest and fell asleep. Lion-O hoped this little nap would help her out and that they could eat dinner together with Sahara. He wouldn't let on that he was worried about her because at this point there might not be anything to worry about. Still the possibility bothered him, he loved Cheetara and their daughter more than life itself and if something happened to either one he wasn't sure he could deal with it.

About an hour later, the cheetah awoke and it was as if nothing had happened. She playfully flicked her husband's nose and he woke up with a start.

"I take it you're feeling better." He smiled.

"Much. Have I told you how much I love you?" She wondered.

"Hmmm well only about nine times today." The lion teased. Cheetara smiled and they kissed.

"Why don't we go find our daughter and get some dinner?" She suggested.

"Sounds fabulous. Dinner with my two favorite ladies." Lion-O beamed at the thought. That's when the COM went off again. Both the ThunderCats looked at each other before the lion answered it.

"Yes?"

"Lion-O I have those results for that serial number and you're not going to believe what I found." Ben-Gali said.


	5. Chapter 5

Both Lion-O and Cheetara headed down to the control room. They hoped that whatever Ben-Gali found would clear up some things. The door to the control room slid open and the white tiger and panther turned around.

"Well boys what do we have?" Lion-O wondered.

"Something that makes no sense, check this out." Ben-Gali poked a sequence of buttons and up on the computer screen popped a report.

"This was dated fifty-five years ago." The white tiger said as he hit another button.

" _Captain Hobart and his crew set out for the planet Gortact on Monday, September third, in the year twenty-three thirty. Their mission was to retrieve a shipment of grain and an experimental type of soil additive. As lead detective in this case, I have found no trace of the ship some five years after it has gone missing. Details are sketchy as to how or why the ship never returned home. According to Gortact officials the ship arrived on schedule and docked for two days while their ship was loaded with the shipment and then refueled and restocked for the trip home. Then on Saturday, September eighth, the crew boarded and left for home. Solvay officials called Gortact on Thursday, September thirteenth, when attempts to raise the missing ship failed. When the people on our sister planet explained that they had not heard nor seen anything since the eighth, an investigation was launched. The ship only had enough supplies to sustain a crew of twenty-five for five days. Since its disappearance there have been little clues as to what could have happened. Another ship, called_ The Patriot _, had passed by_ Solvay's Pride,  _serial number: Alpha Beta three six four seven Zulu,_   _on the ninth and had talked to Captain Hobart but after that_ _the ship disappeared._

 _Detective Sol Blueback, Badge number three six two, Wednesday, September fifteenth, twenty-three thirty-five at fifteen thirty hours has officially declared this case closed and will have the file put into storage until more evidence comes to light._ " With that the official report ended and Ben-Gali cut the transmission off.

"Well that explains the recorded message about wanting to land. They were supposed to land on this planet Gortact and they used the message there." Panthro said.

"Yes this is true but what about skeletal remains? Even after fifty years wouldn't there be something left? I mean it was a climate controlled area and it had been sealed for a long time." Cheetara wondered.

"Ben-Gali call Tygra and see if he knows what the answer would be. In the mean time what did you guys get off the captain's log?" Lion-O asked.

"Nothing. As you can guess this is fifty year old technology and we've been having a hard time trying to figure out a way to read it." Panthro said.

"The mighty Panthro letting a little disk get in his way?" The Lord of the ThunderCats teased. The panther smirked and replied,

"I'm afraid I'll break it. What kind of device was it in when you found it?"

"It was embedded into the captain's chair. I had a vision and I then knew what button to push." Cheetara told them.

"Well I guess our best bet would be to look at the chair and see what we can do about making a device of our own." Panthro suggested. That's when Ben-Gali got off the line and turned to the group.

"Tygra says since they were kept in a climate controlled area and not disturbed they would have remained intact for a long while but without the exact conditions it would tough for him to be perfectly sure."

"There were clothes though." Cheetara said.

"Because they were artificial they didn't disintegrate according to Tygra." Ben-Gali explained.

"So what caused their bones to disappear and their clothes to be left in positions as if they were in the middle of things?" Lion-O wondered.


	6. Chapter 6

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The loud cry pierced the silence of the night. Both parents immediately said,

"It's your turn." Hearing each other say it, they rolled over and gave each other a look.

"I did it last time." Lion-O told her.

"Oh no you didn't." Cheetara said. Both then looked at each other with a smile. As Sahara continued to wail, they both got up and tried to comfort the baby. It took about two seconds to realize why the little girl cub was crying.

"Holy moly!" Lion-O said as he held one hand to his nose.

"Why does she always do this in the middle of the night?" Cheetara wondered as she lifted the cub from her crib.

"I have no idea. Maybe we'd better ask Pumyra or Tygra in the morning." Her mate said as he rifled around grabbing the necessary implements to change a diaper. Within a few minutes, the two of them had her out of the stinky old one and into a fresh clean one. Now Sahara cooed and reached out for her mother's face. Her tiny little hands found the cheetah's cheeks and Cheetara couldn't help but smile.

"Good to see you're feeling better my little one. Why don't we get you tucked in again?" The mother asked her daughter. As if to answer 'yes', Sahara yawned. Cheetara gently laid the cub down in her crib and covered her up.

"She is so pretty just like her mother." Lion-O said as he nuzzled her neck.

"Oh I think she'll be much prettier than me when she's older." The cheetah smiled enjoying the feel of her mate's lips on her neck and shoulder. They were both about to head to bed when Cheetara wondered,

"Who's going to get rid of the stink bomb on the changing table?"

"I did it last time." Lion-O said.

"You say that every time." She gave him a look and then held her right fist out. The Lord of the ThunderCats gave a sigh and followed suit. Then the two of them brought their fists up and down three times before a fourth time when they revealed a symbol. Cheetara had left her hand a solid fist signifying a rock and Lion-O had unluckily picked an option, which revealed his index and middle fingers out as if to make a pair of scissors.

"Best two out of three?" He asked. Cheetara shook her head and replied with a smirk,

"Get rid of it." Lion-O grumbled as he picked up the disgusting thing and headed out the door and down the hall towards the incinerator.

"And that is how you keep your future mate in line." The cheetah told the sleeping Sahara. With a little laugh, she headed back towards the bed when a sudden sharp pain in her head made her stop. Images flashed through her mind at a rapid pace as she tried to identify what and who they were. The pain in her head grew until she was almost at her breaking point when they suddenly stopped. A scene played out in front of her eyes and she tried to understand what it meant. People walked around in a zombie-like state down the halls of ship that she recognized as  _Solvay's Pride_. Although these creatures did not look the same as the ones she'd seen in her previous vision. They were gaunt and their skin was discolored. Their clothes draped around them as if they were four sizes too big. Suddenly the pictures changed and now there were bodies draped over equipment and lying down in the hallway. At the end of the hall, a tall, dark, shadowy figure stood watching the people suffer and die. It laughed at the pain and somehow seemed to grow in size. Cheetara tried to process what she could but the pain increased in her temples and the next thing she knew the world went black.


	7. Chapter 7

The sound of Lion-O's voice pulled the cheetah back to reality. She looked around and saw that she was in the sick bay. Machines beeped and recorded the vital data of their patient.

"What happened?" She asked weakly. At that instant, Lion-O practically leapt out of his chair. Luckily, Sahara was in her wrap that kept her clung to the lion's broad chest.

"Mama." The cub's face brightened as she heard the cheetah's voice.

"Thank Jaga, Tara. I was afraid we'd lost you." Lion-O smiled as he carefully stood up.

"How long have I been out?" Cheetara wondered.

"Two days. I found you lying on the floor unresponsive and brought you down here. Neither Tygra nor Pumyra could figure out what happened." The lion told her as he pressed the call button.

"I remember having this strange vision and the immense pain in my head. After that I don't remember anything." Cheetara slowly tried to sit up on her own only to find that it was harder than it seemed.

"Take it easy. Someone will help us soon." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Tygra entered the room. When the tiger saw Cheetara awake, he beamed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he carefully helped her adjust the bed up into position so she was sitting up straight.

"Very tired and I still have a slight headache." The cheetah told him. Tygra frowned and checked the machines, noticing that her vitals seemed to be in order.

"All right well I'll give you something for the headache and see if Snarf can whip you up some real food to eat. Hopefully you'll be back on your way to being your usual self in no time." The orange tiger smiled and then went to the medicine cabinet. He found the bottle of pain relievers and filled a glass with water. Then he walked back over to the cheetah and handed her the medication.

"This should help. In the meantime, I want you to take it easy. After you've finished eating dinner I'll check back in on you." Tygra smiled.

"Thank you. But I don't want to be a bother." Cheetara said.

"You'd only be a bother if you came down here every time you got the sniffles." The orange tiger joked.

"Hey, I didn't want to but you know Snarf." Lion-O chuckled. Tygra laughed and then left to find the nursemaid so Cheetara could get some dinner.

"Mama." Sahara smiled and reached for the cheetah.

"Hi baby." Cheetara reached out and Lion-O came closer so she could touch the cub. The cheetah ran her hand through Sahara's strawberry blonde hair and smiled.

"A little more red and she'd have her daddy's hair." She said.

"Lucky for us that seems to be the only thing she inherited from me." The lion smirked. Cheetara gave a slight laugh and was about to say something when the sick bay door opened again.

"Dinner will be up soon but I know a little one who needs her meal too." Snarf said.

"Do you want me to bring her down to the kitchen?" Lion-O asked.

"That would be good. I'll have dinner ready in a jiffy." The nursemaid promised.

"I'll be right back, Tara." The Lord of the ThunderCats gave her a smile and headed out of the room. After they left, Cheetara closed her eyes and tried to focus. She needed to clear her thoughts and see if she could bring the vision back. Slowly she could feel her sixth sense wake and she allowed it to take control.

This time the vision came without the pain in her temples and she saw the shadowy figure that she had seen before. Its features weren't defined, as a normal being would have been. The figure still appeared black and shifty. It seemed to be gaining power as the people around it grew weaker and weaker. She could feel that this being was evil and had every intention of killing everyone aboard the ship. It wanted nothing more than to destroy what was around it. Then suddenly a voice filled her head.

"I know what you are trying to do Cheetara." A raspy voice said.

"How do you know me? What do you want?" She asked it.

"You will not know what I want until it's too late." The voice continued. A pain then shot through the cheetah's head and she opened her eyes. She was breathing hard and fought to bring everything back to normal when Lion-O entered the room.


	8. Chapter 8

The Lord of the ThunderCats rushed to her side and tried to help her calm down. A look of concern crossed his face until she was finally breathing regularly.

"What happened?" He asked.

"There's something on that ship. It wants nothing more than to destroy us." She spit out.

"What do you mean?" Lion-O was confused.

"Something evil is on that ship. We have to get it off of New Thundera immediately." Cheetara continued. This talk was making the lion nervous. He took his wife's hand and tried to calm her down.

"You have to explain. Nothing bad has happened in the past two days. Everyone is fine." The lion was trying to understand what had whipped her up into a frenzy.

"You have to believe me. Get that ship off the planet. We are all in great danger." Cheetara told him. Lion-O reached over and pressed the call button and Tygra entered the room moments later. The lion didn't even have to say anything as the tiger could see that Cheetara was obviously upset.

"She won't calm down and she keeps talking about some evil thing on the space ship we pulled in." The Lord of the ThunderCats said.

"Cheetara you have to calm down. Your body doesn't need the extra stress. Please take a deep breath and try to calm down." Tygra told her.

"It's going to kill us all!" She shouted. The cheetah had completely lost it. Quickly, the orange tiger ran to the medicine cabinet and found a sedative. He injected the flailing cheetah and she soon fell asleep.

"I'd better stay with her and you'd better talk to Ben-Gali and Panthro. Hopefully they have that disk decoded. The sooner we get that ship off of here the better it will be for her." Tygra said. Lion-O heaved a big sigh and nodded.

"You're right. Call me when she wakes up." He said. His friend gave a nod and the Lord of the ThunderCats left the room.

Down in the Lair's workshop, the lion found Ben-Gali and Panthro just about to put the disk into the decoder they had built.

"How's Cheetara?" Panthro asked.

"Not good. She woke up and seemed fine but then I left her alone for a few minutes and when I got back she was out of her mind." Lion-O's shoulders sagged as he found a stool to sit on. Panthro felt for the lion and wished there was something he could do.

"Well maybe this tape will help clear things up." Ben-Gali tried to reassure him and placed the disk into the reader.

" _This is the Captain's Log for September eleventh twenty-three thirty. We should have arrived home yesterday and yet strangely we cannot find our planet of Solvay. Somehow we are off course despite our systems indicating we are where we should be. Some of the crew have become leery in our situation and there is an uneasiness among the entire crew. All of our distress calls have not been answered and I'm beginning to wonder what our next course of action is. I try to look brave for the men and women under my command but I fear they can sense my insecurity. Again we will try to reach Solvay or Gortact and until we do what remains of our supplies will be rationed._ " There was a long pause before the next entry played.

" _This is the Captain's Log for September twelfth twenty-three thirty. Last night some of the crew attempted a mutiny, making wild accusations that I had led the ship astray on purpose. Luckily, security was able to quell it but not before they killed our head engineer. His second in command is trying to get the ship on course but I don't know if he will be able. Only fourteen remain loyal to me and the nine that started the mutiny have been locked in the brig. Our food supply is dangerously low but none of the fourteen have said anything to me. They will stay loyal to the end if that is what will happen to us. I hope that we reach Solvay soon._ " Again another long pause came before the next entry.

" _This is Doctor Jones filling in for Captain Hobart on September thirteenth twenty-three thirty. Last night our brave Captain was killed as he tried to man the pilot's seat after the pilot was murdered. Those that remained after the attempted mutiny had a mutiny of their own claiming that they didn't trust the pilot or the Captain anymore. No one would allow me to give them a proper funeral and they were left where they were killed. After that the remaining twelve members went to the brig and killed the nine that tried to start the first mutiny claiming that they had convinced the Captain and pilot to deceive them. Then they went about there business of tending to the ship as if nothing had happened. We are close to starvation and I believe that is what is driving them mad. They broke into the grain we were supposed to bring home and have been eating it. It is not a healthy thing to do but I cannot convince them otherwise. Out of a crew of twenty-five, only myself and the twelve mutineers remain. I fear it is only a matter of time before they kill me as well._ " A third long pause came before the tape shut itself off. All three ThunderCats looked at each other.

"Is there any more?" Lion-O asked.

"We haven't done a thorough search of the ship to find more but we can. At least this gives us some insight to what happened." Ben-Gali said.

"Panthro, can you check into their navigational system and see what was wrong with it?" The Lord of the ThunderCats wondered.

"I can try." The panther told him.

"Can you do it without entering the ship?" Lion-O inquired.

"Possibly. Why?" Panthro asked.

"Because I have this strange feeling that maybe Cheetara is right." The lion told him.


	9. Chapter 9

Panthro and Ben-Gali put their protective suits on and headed into the plastic containment area. They carried their tools and searched around the outside of the ship for what would seem to be an electrical panel.

"The markings on the ship are all mixed up. Some are burned off and others are just plain missing." Ben-Gali commented through their radios.

"It does seem odd but of course back when they made the ship everyone might have had certain specs and made a lot of the ships the same way." Panthro remarked.

"So good for them and bad for us." The white tiger shook his head.

"Basically." His friend smirked. The two kept looking until Panthro found what they were looking for.

"Here it is. Lets crack this bad boy open." The two worked on the panel and managed to get it off. Inside was a mess of wires and panels.

"Oh boy. I guess they weren't much for organization." Ben-Gali sighed.

"I guess not. Lucky for us, the navigational panels are unique and easy to tell from the others." Panthro said as he carefully moved through the panels on the right side of the compartment with his fingers. Ben-Gali looked around on the left side and soon the two had found what they were looking for.

"Wow. These seem to be in bad shape." The panther gave a questioning look.

"If you're saying that then I know we're in trouble." Ben-Gali teased.

"No, I should still be able to pull stuff off of them it'll just take longer than I was hoping is all." Panthro explained.

"Well let's get this panel back on and then we can take a better look at them in the shop." The white tiger said. Panthro gave a nod and the two made quick work of the removed outside panel. Then the two headed back to Cat's Lair.

On the other side of the planet, a dark shadowy figure stood above his bubbling cauldron watching the scene unfold. He smirked and raised his decaying hands up to clear the waters. Slowly the red caped figured turned and headed for his sarcophagus.

"I know you are there Dolosa. You can't hide from me." Mumm-Ra said to what seemed to be no one.

"I think I'm losing my touch." The shadowy figure materialized out of nowhere.

"That is possible considering I haven't heard from you in over a hundred years." The ancient mummy turned to the figure that now stood in front of him.

"But what is a hundred years to you? It's like spitting into the mighty ocean." Dolosa commented.

"This is true. So what brings you to New Thundera?" Mumm-Ra questioned.

"Can't I come visit my old friend?" The shifty creature asked.

"Yes when you want something and considering you live up to your namesake I feel even less eager to help you." Mumm-Ra told her.

"This time is different. I'm here to help you." Dolosa said.

"Really? And what makes you think you can help me?" The ever-living source of evil wondered as he turned and headed for his tomb.

"There are some pesky creatures on this planet and I thought that it would be fun to use them as my puppets. I believe they are called the ThunderCats." This made Mumm-Ra stop in his tracks.

"I figured I could use my gift and make them turn on each other and those they are sworn to protect. Only problem is when I'm finished with them, this planet will be without a ruler." Dolosa told him.

"Why is that a problem?" Mumm-Ra inquired.

"You know I hate the light. So if we created a partnership, I figure this planet will be easy pickings." The shadowy figure said.

"Ah, so you want me to step in when you cannot." The ancient pile of bandages gave her a questioning look.

"Kind of. With you terrorizing them during the day and me terrorizing them at night, the whole planet will collapse." Dolosa smirked.

"I like the sound of that." Mumm-Ra gave a gruesome smile.


	10. Chapter 10

Cheetara awoke from her induced sleep to find Pumyra sitting next to her bed. The cheetah was surprised that her husband wasn't there.

"Where is Lion-O?" She rasped out of her dry throat. The puma handed her a glass of water and the cheetah quickly quenched her thirst.

"He went to go check on the boys process with the navigational panels." Pumyra smiled.

"The Boys?" Cheetara asked.

"Sorry, Panthro and Ben-Gali. Those two have been joined at the hip for the past few days." The puma chuckled.

"I bet. So do you think I'm crazy?" Cheetara wondered.

"No, and neither does anyone else. That tape you found on the ship has proved that something was going on among the crew of  _Solvay's Pride_. Lion-O is still extremely worried about you though." Pumyra told her.

"Sometimes I worry that Snarf somehow rubbed off on him." The cheetah cracked a smile. This made them both laugh.

"Well you are the mother of his cub and his wife. I think that gives him a right to worry." Pumyra said as she carefully lifted herself out of her seat. Cheetara smiled thoughtfully and changed the subject.

"So not much longer until your cub comes along."

"No, a few more weeks and I'll have my regular body back. Although I think I will miss the shelf I had." The puma joked.

"I know I didn't miss it. The not being able to go on missions and having to make Lion-O always running around getting things for me." The cheetah said. Pumyra was about to answer when the general alert went off.

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"

"I'd better go check that out." The puma started waddling for the door.

"Oh no you don't." Cheetara removed the monitor patches that were on her chest and got out of bed. The instrument panel set off an alarm but the cheetah quickly shut it off.

"You keep your cub safe and I'll go check it out. I want out of that bed anyway." Before Pumyra could argue, Cheetara was gone in a flash.

The female ThunderCat raced down the hall to the control room where the twins had just shut the alarm off.

"What's going on?" Cheetara asked.

"Something tripped the sensors but we can't see anything." WilyKat told her.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" WilyKit wondered.

"Did you run the Cat's Eyes?" The cheetah inquired, ignoring the girl's question.

"I did but they didn't pick up anything." Kat explained.

"Reset the sensors and keep your eyes peeled. I'll go find Lion-O; maybe the Sword of Omens can help." Cheetara said.

"He's with Ben-Gali and Panthro in the workshop." Kit told her. The cheetah gave a nod and was out the door in a second. Within a matter of moments she was in the workshop and found the three ThunderCats.

"What's all the hubbub?" Ben-Gali asked.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Lion-O wondered.

"I'm not sure what the hubbub is and as far as being in bed, I can't take it anymore. Lion-O can you look through the Sword and see if anything is going on outside?" Cheetara inquired. He wasn't sure why he should but he did it without question. If something had tripped the sensors and the cheetah needed him to look then he'd look.

"Sword of Omens give me Sight Beyond Sight." He commanded.


	11. Chapter 11

The Sword of Omens gave Lion-O what he ordered. It showed the outside of Cat's Lair and it scanned around. The Lord of the ThunderCats didn't see anything and he was beginning to wonder what was going on.

"I don't see anything." He said as he pulled the Sword away from his face and sheathed it inside the Claw Shield.

"That makes no sense. Why would the sensors go off and then nothing be there?" Ben-Gali asked.

"I have no idea unless they malfunctioned. Let me get up to the control room and check and see." Panthro said.

"All right, we'll keep working on the navigational panels." Lion-O told him. The panther nodded and headed upstairs while Ben-Gali got back to work. Before joining the white tiger, Lion-O turned to Cheetara.

"You should be in bed." He told his wife as he wrapped his hands around her waist.

"No, I can't lay there anymore. I need to get up and move around. I want to hold Sahara." The cheetah argued crossing her hands over her chest.

"I just want you to be one-hundred percent. I worry you know." Lion-O smiled.

"I know you do but trust me I'm all right." Cheetara said, moving her hands onto his muscular forearms. The Lord of the ThunderCats leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

"Promise me you'll have Tygra check you out before you do anything else." He told her.

"I promise." The cheetah gave him a peck on the cheek and then headed back upstairs to find the orange tiger.

Outside the Lair, Dolosa hid in the shadows, trying to avoid the staring gaze of the Cat's Eyes.  _Getting into this place is going to be harder than I thought_ , she said to herself. However, the shadow creature wasn't about to let the ThunderCats stop her. With her plan proposed to Mumm-Ra it was too late to turn back now. Besides, it only took one ThunderCat and then the rest of the group would follow.

Back on the inside of the Lair, Panthro struggled to understand why the sensors were picking up something that didn't appear to be there.

"Let's run a thermal scan, see if we can't pick up something that way." He told the Kittens. WilyKit hit the buttons and a thermal scan commenced. After about five minutes it reported absolutely nothing.

"Well that didn't help." Kat sighed.

"All right well let me go up in the Cat's Head and check a few things. We'll be down for a few minutes but its possible there is only something flying around up there." The panther told them.

"Like when we had that bat problem about a year ago?" Kit asked. This made Panthro swallow hard. If there was one thing he couldn't seem to handle, it was bats.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Kat volunteered.

"No, just keep an eye on the monitors in case you see anything." The panther told them. No way was he going to have someone else up there in case there were bats. No way was he getting embarrassed. Without saying anything else he headed out of the control room and up toward the Cat's Head.

Dolosa watched as the great red eyes shutdown. Now was her chance. She slipped through the darkness and found her way to the main door of Cat's Lair. With ease, the shadowy figure slipped between the cracks and entered the ThunderCats' fortress.  _Like taking candy from a baby_ , she smirked.


	12. Chapter 12

Tygra checked over Cheetara in the sick bay. He was still puzzled by her condition but it appeared that she was doing fine now.

"You seem perfectly healthy." He told her.

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing." Cheetara smirked.

"I guess I'm just confused is all. One minute you're lying on the floor passed out cold and you don't wake up for two days. Then suddenly you're better, as if it didn't happen at all." Tygra shrugged.

"Well as long as I'm better, I'm happy." She told him. He nodded and smiled. The orange tiger had always wished that he had acted on the feelings he kept buried deep inside for her but now it was too late. She was married to Lion-O and they had Sahara.

"You ok, Tygra?" Cheetara asked.

"I'm fine." He said shaking his head as he pulled the stethoscope off and moved to put it away in the cabinet. The cheetah sensed that something was wrong but she didn't push it.

"All right well I'm going to see if the guys need help and then check up on Sahara. I'll see you later." She smiled. Again Tygra nodded and the cheetah took off. The orange tiger just sighed and slowly padded out of the room. Absorbed in his thoughts as he walked down the hall toward his bedchamber he didn't even notice that something seemed to be following him. It could sense what he was feeling and knew that this cat would be its first victim.

"Tygra." A voice called to him.

"Who's there?" He asked as he spun around.

"Someone who wants you." The figure stood in the shadows.

"Who are you?" Tygra asked not sure what this thing was. Then she stepped out from her hiding place. "Cheetara?" The tiger was confused now.

"But you went to find…"

"I changed my mind. I'm sick of being that cub's play toy. I want a real cat." The look on her face was one that told him she wasn't playing around.

"I wouldn't do that to Lion-O." Tygra said.

"Since when does that matter? I know why you didn't come after Lion-O when he resigned. You didn't think he was ready, didn't think he could handle it. Part of you wanted to be Lord of the ThunderCats, after all Jaga chose you to takeover if Lion-O couldn't cut it." Cheetara pulled herself very close to the tiger so that their lips were only inches apart. Tygra shook his head.

"That's not true." He stammered.

"Yes it is." The cheetah looked deeply into his eyes and then pressed her lips against his. Tygra couldn't help but respond. All the pent up feelings came out. Something inside him just couldn't stop him from doing what he was doing. That's when he felt himself getting weaker. His strength seemed to be draining from him. That's when he heard an all too familiar voice.

"What are you two doing?!" The question was shouted from across the hall. Tygra pulled away from the cheetah to see Panthro coming at them.

"How could you?!" He bellowed. "I… I…" the orange tiger just stammered. Panthro grabbed Cheetara by the arm before she could take off.

"What do you have to say for yourself? I thought you loved Lion-O." He said. Before he knew it he felt her lips on his. The mighty panther tried to pull away but he couldn't. He could feel his strength being sapped from him and that's when they heard,

"What the hell is going on here?!"


	13. Chapter 13

The last shout was given by none other than Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Suddenly a sinister laugh came from Cheetara.

"Did you really think that I wasn't coming for you? Your time has come and this planet will soon know my name!" The cheetah shouted. Before anyone could react, she was gone.

All the yelling had woken Sahara from her sound sleep and Cheetara desperately tried to calm the cub down. Rocking the little girl back and forth finally made the cub fall back asleep. Looking at the clock, though she realized that that had taken thirty minutes. Sighing, the cheetah left the room to see what all the commotion had been about. Walking down the hall she could feel that something wasn't right. Her sixth sense seemed to be telling her that something bad was going to happen. Rounding the next corner, she came face to face with herself.

"Who are you?" The cheetah grabbed her bo-staff and extended it.

"I'm you of course." The fake cheetah smirked.

"I bet it was you that had everyone yelling earlier." Cheetara growled.

"Such a fuss over a little kiss. You'd think I'd broken some sort of rule." The other cheetah continued to smirk, knowing full well the ThunderCats' marital status. This last statement made Cheetara lunge at the impostor. The fake Cheetara easily evaded the cheetah's attack and grabbed her collar.

"I wonder what will happen when those three find you dead." The shadow in cheetah skin said as she began to do what she did best, suck the life from her victims. Cheetara tried to fight Dolosa but it didn't seem to be working. The harder she fought the weaker she got. Suddenly there was a bright flash of light and a scream from the attacker. Then the world went black.

Ben-Gali raced to Cheetara's side as the thing that had attacked her vanished. He checked her vitals and found that her pulse was weak but it seemed to be gaining strength. Before he could do anything else Lion-O rushed down the hall.

"I saw the fight on the Sword. Is she all right?" He asked.

"I'm not quite sure. There were two Cheetaras. One was trying to kill this one and I blasted it with my Hammer. Then in an instant the other was gone." The white tiger explained. Lion-O thought about the story before responding.

"There were two Cheetaras." He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Yes. Whatever that thing was it appeared to be sucking the life from her." Ben-Gali said. Before the lion could respond, Cheetara sat bolt upright. She whipped her head around and saw the white tiger and her husband. Her hand went to her throat. Nothing was holding into her anymore but she still she couldn't shake the choking feeling. Next she tried to speak but nothing came out.

Lion-O got down on his knees and took hold of her shoulders. She looked into his eyes and could see the confusion and pain in them.

"Ben-Gali, run an internal heat scan of the entire Lair. I want to find this thing. Also run through the security footage. See if it shows up on the tapes. Have the ThunderKittens help you." The lion instructed.

"Yes, sir." The white tiger acknowledged and hurried to the control room. Carefully Lion-O scooped up his wife and headed for the sick bay.

"Lion-O." She finally managed to croak out. He didn't respond and continued to walk.

"Lion-O, listen to me. That thing is from the spaceship. It's what has been coming after me. It wants to destroy us. As I said before we have to get rid of it." She tried to get through to him.

"What would you have me do?" He suddenly asked. Her confused look made his anger grow.

"I watched you kiss Panthro. He tells me you kissed Tygra first. And now something conveniently tries to kill you? What am I to believe? How can I trust you?" The Lord of the ThunderCats asked.


	14. Chapter 14

Cheetara could not believe the words coming out of his mouth. If she had had the strength she might have slapped him.

"Lion-O, I would never cheat on you. Do you think that I would break everything we have for someone else? I love you and I love Sahara and I would never do anything to harm either one of you." She couldn't comprehend why he thought this way.

"Then why would you kiss Tygra and Panthro?" He gave her an accusing look.

"I wouldn't!" She shouted hurting her throat.

"Great Gods of Thundera, would you stop it!" Pumyra broke into their argument as the Lord of the ThunderCats brought his wife into the sick bay.

"You can't honestly believe that your wife would do anything that she is being accused of! She is my best friend and I will not stand for you treating her this way! Whatever happened to 'Innocent Until Proven Guilty'?" The puma scolded. Lion-O stood there holding Cheetara in his arms, still trying to understand where Pumyra got the stones to stand up to him like that.

"Put her down and don't say anything until you can realize what you've been saying." The puma put her foot down and that was that. Lion-O placed Cheetara on the bed and backed away. Right away Pumyra began tending to her friend.

"Thank you." The cheetah gave a small smile.

"Anytime. Now how are you feeling?" She asked.

"As strange as this sounds pretty good. As soon as that thing let go of me I didn't feel so weak. Although I can't imagine that thing won't stop trying to kill me." Cheetara explained.

"Yes well, it appears that you got a chunk of it when you were fighting. There is some dark stuff under your claws." Pumyra picked it out and quickly sealed it in a test tube.

"I'm going to run a battery of tests and see what we can do about getting this thing." She continued. That's when Ben-Gali burst into the room.

"I've run a scan and I didn't pick up anything but the ThunderKittens got something on the tapes that everyone needs to see." The white tiger told them. Quickly the three followed him down to the control room.

"Is everyone here?" WilyKit asked.

"Yes. Now pull up the tape." Ben-Gali said. Kit poked a sequence of buttons and the tape came up on the screen.

"Split the screen and show the second set of footage." The white tiger instructed. WilyKat then brought up the footage on his side of the screen.

"You can see from the time stamp that at 19:30, Cheetara was both with Sahara and kissing Tygra." Ben-Gali showed.

"No one can be in two places at once." Panthro said.

"Exactly but here is where it gets even better. You see how a few minutes later at 19:33, Panthro is getting the lip service and Sahara is being rocked back and forth?" The white tiger asked.

"Yes, so?" Pumyra asked, getting a little impatient.

"Zoom in on the shadows." Ben-Gali instructed the Kittens. They did as they were told and it was then that everyone saw what he was talking about.

"Here you can see that Cheetara's shadow falls on the floor in her bedroom and it looks like her. However, when the shadow is seen on the kissing Cheetara, what does it look like?" The white tiger asked.

"Something else." Lion-O said barely above a whisper, now realizing his mistake.

"Exactly. We have a shape shifting creature on our hands who manages to slip past our security system and cannot be found on heat scans." Ben-Gali told them.

"So how do we get rid of it?" Tygra asked.

"I think I know." Cheetara spoke up.


	15. Chapter 15

"The creature feeds off turning people against each other and it always manages to escape because there is always somewhere that it can slip away to." The cheetah explained.

"Seems very logical. According to the tapes from  _Solvay's Pride_  the crew seemed to be turning on each other for no apparent reason." Tygra agreed.

"So it probably messed with their controls. I'll bet that  _Solvay's Pride_  was so close to home and they didn't even know it." Panthro made the connection.

"So what can slip in and out of small places and not be noticed by everyone else?" Ben-Gali smirked as his little riddle.

"A shadow." WilyKit smiled.

"Exactly." The white tiger said.

"And how do you get rid of a shadow?" Cheetara asked, knowing what the answer would be.

"Light." The one word answer came from the Lord of the ThunderCats, who had been quite for the past twenty minutes.

"We need to light up every inch of the Lair. Force our sly opponent out of our home. Once we do that, we should be able to defeat it." Cheetara told the group.

"Then let's round up every extra light source we have and turn on every appliance that throws light. If we can force most of the shadows out then we'll be in business." Panthro said. The ThunderCats then dispersed and tried to find what they needed.

Unbeknownst to them, Dolosa lurked in the shadows nearby. She had heard their plan and she knew that she would no longer be safe. Quietly the shape shifter jumped from shadow to shadow until she was out of the Cats' fortress. The moon was still high in the night sky as the evil being made her way back to Mumm-Ra's pyramid. Somehow, he would have to help her.

Dolosa objected to relying on the mummy but it seemed she didn't have of an option. If she was exposed to the light and could not find the shadows to hide in then she would perish. Slipping through the countryside, was a breeze and soon she entered the pyramid.

"Coming back already?" Mumm-Ra didn't even turn around to face her.

"I need help." She said exasperatedly.

"Oh so you need help. Well how can I help the mighty Dolosa?" The ever-living source of evil smirked.

"Those pesky cats seem to have found out my secret and now they intend on lighting up their lair with every light source known in creation." She grumbled.

"Well I suppose if we want to destroy them then we have to destroy their power supply." Mumm-Ra nodded and turned to the giant statues that surrounded his bubbling cauldron.

"Ancient Spirits of Evil, transform this decayed form into Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living!" In seconds the huddled bandaged creature became the ThunderCats' most fierce enemy. He took to the sky and Dolosa followed through the dark to the Lair.

Meanwhile, the ThunderCats had managed to round up all the lights they could and were strategically placing them all around the Lair when the Sword of Omens growled. Lion-O quickly pulled the great weapon from the Claw Shield and pulled it to his face.

"Sword of Omens give me Sight Beyond Sight." What he saw made him realize that the task they were working on had to be abandoned. He ran to the nearest COM and made an announcement over the entire Lair.

"Mumm-Ra is inbound. Battle stations everyone!" He then pressed the alarm button and the fortress was filled with the sound of pounding footsteps and cries to arms.


	16. Chapter 16

The ThunderCats took up their positions in the control room. Panthro sat in the main seat and diverted the needed power to the weapons centers. Cheetara and Tygra took up positions in the gun bays that sat on the Cat' shoulders while Ben-Gali and Lion-O manned the other weapons inside the control room. The ThunderKittens poked in the commands to seal all doors and windows while Snarf did his usual pacing back and forth.

"Why hasn't he done anything yet? Usually he's blasting at us before we even have enough time to get into position." Panthro wondered.

"I don't know and I don't like it." Lion-O told him.

"Should we make a preemptive strike?" Ben-Gali asked.

"Normally, I would be against it but in this case, if he's off to attack somebody else then we'd better focus his attention here." The lion instructed. Panthro picked up the COM and contacted Cheetara and Tygra.

"Fire in the hole." Came the command and within seconds came the sound of laser cannons being fired.

Outside Mumm-Ra could see that the ThunderCats had fallen for the bait and easily dodged the shots from their cannons. He smirked as he fired some of his own shots. They were haphazard as his intended target wasn't the ThunderCats but their supply of Thundrillium that was behind the Lair.

"He's flying behind the Cat's Eyes. Rotate three hundred and sixty degrees." Cheetara ordered Tygra. The orange tiger followed the command and two fired at the mummy.

Mumm-Ra dodged their fire and flew in closer to the storage area. If everything worked out as he planned the ThunderCats would destroy their own power supply and all he would have to do is lead the proverbial horse to the water.

Below Dolosa snuck back into the Lair through the heavy steel that had covered the Lair's entrance and through the doors behind it. Once the power source was destroyed, she could then continue to infiltrate the ThunderCats. Her next plan was to overtake one of them and force them to do her dirty work. The best part was she had the perfect Cat for the job in mind.

Pumyra sat in the lab while the battle continued. She was still running the tests on the strange material that she had removed from under Cheetara's claws. It was a surprisingly resilient item except when it came to high-powered light. One of the computers beeped alerting her to the fact that it had finished its analysis. She wheeled her chair over to the screen and looked at what it had found.

"Thirty percent of unknown one, thirty percent of unknown two, and forty percent of unknown three? How can the computer not know what it is?" The puma wasn't happy with the answer she had gotten. She pounded her fist into the desk and turned back to the microscope. Adjusting the focus of the device, she tried to see what would happen when she poked it and tried to pull it apart. She was in the middle of the experiment when a large explosion rocked the Lair and she fell out of her seat. Pumyra grabbed her stomach as her cub kicked her. Pain emanated from her midsection and she feared that the fall had hurt her baby. Slowly she tried to reach for the alarm button on the table. That's when the power went out and the Lair fell silent.

"That's not good." Pumyra muttered to herself. Now the alarm button would not work and her only option would be to get up into her chair and try to wheel herself to get help. She tried to pull herself up into the chair but it hurt too much. The only other option would be to crawl and that didn't seem like such a good idea but what choice did she have?

"Here we go." She said quietly.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A reference is made to a doocube. For those that didn't read A New Beginning? or don't remember it is the device that the Lockti used to open doors that would not open on their own.

"Everyone all right?" Lion-O called out into the darkness of the control room.

"I'm ok. I need some light though so I can see if I can reboot the system and at least get the auxiliary power on." Panthro said. The Lord of the ThunderCats pulled the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield and said,

"Ho!" The Sword glowed and the panther quickly went to work on the controls. WilyKit and WilyKat came closer and confirmed that they were fine as well.

"What about Cheetara and Tygra?" Lion-o wondered.

"I don't know but I need to get to Pumyra." Ben-Gali's reply came ensuring the others he was all right.

"Without the auxiliary power on, the doors won't budge." Panthro told them.

"Don't we have a doocube in here?" The white tiger asked.

"We should." WilyKat piped up.

"It's in the storage cupboard." His sister chimed in. The two ThunderKittens went over to the cupboard using the light from the Sword of Omens as a guide.

"It's too dim. I can't see the numbers on the lock to get it open." Kit told them.

"Ho!" The Sword obeyed its master and more light was thrown into the room. Within thirty seconds the Kittens had it open and found what they were looking for.

"Got it!" Kat exclaimed. Ben-Gali quickly took it from the teenager and headed for the door. The Kittens grabbed two metal poles and went to help him force the door open. Panthro was still working away on the controls trying to understand why the auxiliary had not come on.

"There doesn't seem to be any power at all. None of the buttons appear to be working. I'll have to go down to the power room and see what's going on down there." The panther said.

"Take a flashlight and be careful. We have no idea how bad things were wrecked in the explosion." Lion-O cautioned him as Panthro retrieved a flashlight from the storage cupboard.

"When am I not careful?" He joked. The Lord of the ThunderCats smirked and shook his head.

"We got the door open." Kit told them.

"Excellent. You Kat go with Ben-Gali, Kit you're with me." Lion-O said. The twins gave each other a quick nod and split up as they were told.

Pumyra struggled to make it to the door only to realize without power it would not open. Frustrated she moved herself up against the wall and put her back to it. The pain in her midsection had subsided somewhat but she knew that she needed to be looked at immediately. There could be internal bleeding or the baby could be injured. It was then she heard footsteps in the hallway.

"Ben-Gali!" She called out, wincing as she did.

"I'm here sweetheart. We'll get to you." The white tiger reassured her as Kat handed him a pole and a second doocube they had retrieved.

Within a few minutes, they had the door open and Ben-Gali was surprised to find her on the floor. Quickly, he got down on his knees next to her.

"What's wrong?" He asked, very concerned.

"The explosion knocked me out of my chair. I have pain in my abdomen. It's not as bad as earlier but I'm afraid…" the puma didn't want to finish the sentence.

"We'll get Tygra down here and he'll help you. Just hang in there." Her husband promised. He turned to Kat and said,

"Go get Tygra and hurry." The teenage boy did as he was told and raced out of the room, flashlight in hand.

Dolosa swiftly and stealthily moved through the hallways trying to find her target. She assumed that the Cats were off trying to get the lights back on. It wouldn't matter once she inhabited the one that she sought.

A few minutes passed and she found the one she was looking for. He was strong enough to take on the others and he would be blamed for what would happen. The ThunderCats would fall and then nothing would stand in her way of ruling the night. Quietly, she overtook her pray. He tried to scream out but she silenced him with ease as she climbed into his mouth.


	18. Chapter 18

Up in the gun bays, Cheetara slowly crawled over to Tygra. The tiger hadn't responded to her calling name but after that explosion, it was hard to hear. There was a ringing she couldn't quite get rid of. The smell of something burning permeated everything around her and it almost made her gag.

She was almost to her friend when she felt someone touch her shoulder. She looked up and saw that her husband stood over her. He spoke to her but she couldn't hear his voice. Carefully, the lion helped her stand up and walk over to a chair near the door. The cheetah could see that Kit was over trying to get Tygra to sit up. Lion-O left her side and went to help the girl teenager.

Together the two managed to get him up and Cheetara could see that the orange tiger had a cut on his forehead and blood on his uniform. She knew that the cut could be stitched up and she hoped that that it was the extent of his injuries. As the three made their way over to her, someone else came through the door. The cheetah didn't notice him until he faced her. He spoke to her and she tried to lip read.

 _You're first_. The words made no sense and she gave her friend a look. Without warning a hand grabbed her throat and began to squeeze. She fought back trying her best to get rid of her attacker. She couldn't hear Lion-O shouting and charging his way over. Nor did she hear the cries of WilyKit as she set Tygra down and ran to aid their leader. Then suddenly she found herself on the ground, gasping for air. Lion-O slammed into the attacker and forced him to release his victim.

The two fought as WilyKit ran to get help. She bumped into her brother in the hall, who quickly told her to get Ben-Gali and he would try to help Lion-O. The two separated and Kat came upon the two fighting Cats.

Lion-O had their friend, Panthro, in a headlock. Kat couldn't believe what he was seeing. That's when he saw the panther punch Lion-O in the gut. The lion released the engineer and got punched in the face for his trouble. Next Panthro pulled out his nun-chucks and spun them around. Lion-O grabbed the Claw Shield to protect himself. Jaga had expressly forbid ThunderCats fighting each other but it appeared that Panthro was not himself. Still he could not bring himself to hurt the panther.

Kit raced into the sick bay and told Ben-Gali what was happening. The white tiger knew the situation wasn't good but he didn't want to leave Pumyra.

"I'll stay with her. You have to help Lion-O. Panthro has lost it." Kit said. Ben-Gali nodded and stood up.

"You're going to be ok and so is the baby." He promised his wife. She gave him a slight smile as he kissed her forehead and left the sick bay in a flat out run. Kit sat down next to her friend and tried to comfort her. By herself she could not operate the Extractor and she hoped the Pumyra and her cub would be all right.

Back in the gun bay, the fight between the lion and the panther continued. Neither one had the upper hand as the battled. It was like Lion-O's Trial of Strength. Dolosa couldn't believe how strong the cub seemed to be, but he had to have a weakness. That's when an idea hit her.

The panther pivoted his back leg and kicked with his right. His foot landed squarely on Lion-O's manhood, causing him to double over. Cheetara saw this and went at the panther from behind. When this happened Kat joined in, as did Ben-Gali who had just entered the room. The three fought to subdue the panther while Lion-O tried to regain his composure. It didn't take much for the super power panther to throw the two weaker attackers off him. Ben-Gali was another matter. The white tiger had his arms around Panthro's neck, trying to at least get him to wear down. He didn't want to use his Hammer of Thundera on his friend and this seemed like the best option.

Lion-O stood up and went over to the two. He grabbed Panthro's straps in between the spikes and pulled the two closer to him. Ben-Gali let go of the panther's neck and grabbed the straps on his back as well.

"Seems we have you trapped." The Lord of the ThunderCats said.

"You would think that wouldn't you." Panthro answered. He swift thrust backward forcing Ben-Gali to go backward as well. The spikes went into the white tiger's chest. He gasped as blood began to seep into his lungs. In one swift movement, Lion-O let go of Panthro, pulled the Sword of Omens out and aimed the tip of the magical blade at the panther.

"Jaga forgive me. HO!" The blast of energy shot forth from the Sword and exploded just before the panther sending ultraviolet light rays in every direction.


	19. Chapter 19

The next thing they heard was two screams. One was distinctively Panthro; the other was one that no one had ever heard before. Glass shattered around them as the incredibly high-pitched wail grew deafening. Dolosa separated from her captive and continued to screech. Lion-O watched as the dark shape shifter exploded into millions of little pieces. Then all was silent.

Panthro collapsed to the ground and immediately the lion went to the two downed ThunderCats. It was obvious that if Ben-Gali didn't get help soon, he would be beyond help. Panthro was still breathing but unconscious.

"WilyKat, help me. We have to get Ben-Gali to the sick bay now!" He ordered. The young cat rushed over to help. The two carefully lifted the white tiger and carried him down to the sick bay. While they walked, Ben-Gali continued to gasp for breath and blood came out of his mouth. Lion-O feared that with his lungs full of vital liquid and he would drown in himself.

They walked through the doors of the sick bay and went to the first available bed. WilyKit got up from her spot next to Pumyra, who had gone as white as a sheet, and went over to them.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I'll tell you after we save him." The Lord of the ThunderCats said. The two ThunderKittens and Lion-O grabbed the Extractor. Quickly they got the Lockti's machine into position and it began to do what it did best. The machine clicked and whirred and worked over Ben-Gali's wounds. Other than those noises the room was silent. That is until WilyKit leaned over to Lion-O and explained Pumyra's situation. The look on his face went sour.

"How long has she been having these pains?" He asked.

"For almost forty minutes." She told him. The lion cursed under his breath. They could save Ben-Gali but it might be too late for the cub. Just as this thought crossed his mind, the Extractor stopped whirring and lay still. WilyKat and Lion-O removed the machine and quickly the Lord of the ThunderCats moved to Pumyra with it while the Kittens hooked Ben-Gali up to the battery-operated machines needed to keep track of his vitals.

"What…" the puma started but Lion-O wouldn't let her finish as he set the Extractor down.

"We have to help you and your baby. Come on." He said as he helped her up off the floor and onto a nearby bed. Then he lifted the healing machine and put it where it needed to go. Kat came over to help Lion-O and then they got the machine working.

Back in the gun bay, Cheetara picked herself up and went over to Panthro. She checked his pulse to see that he did have a strong heartbeat. Then she moved over to Tygra. Glass crunched under her feet, the soles of her boots had weakened form the heat of the gun, and the broken pieces lodged in them. She cringed but continued to move. The orange tiger was speaking but she couldn't hear what he was saying.

She made it over to him and checked the cut on his forehead. The bleeding had slowed but he would need stitches. He put a hand on her shoulder and gave a small smile. She smiled back and helped him up. Carefully the two moved back toward the door. The cheetah winced as the glass in her feet became more embedded. The two made it to the opening they wanted and waited for Lion-O and the Kittens to arrive.

"You get some rest, Pumyra. That's the best you can do for yourself." The Lord of the ThunderCats said.

"Ben-Gali." She said the sadness in her eyes broke Lion-O's heart. He hoped that he'd been able to save both her cub and her husband.

"He's resting. I have to go get the others but Kit will be here with you. Hang in there." Lion-O told her. The puma's answer was to let out a sigh.

"Come on Kat, we have to get Cheetara, Tygra, and Panthro, then once they are taken care of we have to get the power back on." The lion got the young cat's attention.

"Yes, sir." Kat nodded and followed his leader out the door.


	20. Chapter 20

It would take the ThunderCats two days to get the power back up and running. By then Ben-Gali was sitting up in bed and exercising for at least an hour a day. His strength was slowly returning and he was feeling better now that Pumyra had been checked over. Tygra was still nervous about the cub, as he wasn't sure if the Extractor had healed the baby completely. He continued to monitor the baby's heart rate and gave the puma a sonogram once the power came back up. The Extractor had healed the cut on his forehead quickly and he eagerly went about keeping track of his patients.

Panthro had woken up a day ago and didn't remember anything. The others had all agreed to not tell him about what the creature had made him do. As for the creature, there was no sign of it or whatever was left of it.

The gun bays would take weeks if not months to rebuild along with the more permanent fuel tanks. The auxiliary tanks in the Lair's lower levels had to be rerouted so that the fuel could flow properly past the broken tubes. Snarfer, WilyKat, and Lion-O had managed to do that much and they were rewarded by their first hot meal when Snarf cooked his famous Candy Fruit pancakes for dinner.

Now Lion-O stood in the control room watching the Kittens man the controls. The big doors that led into the room and Cheetara wheeled herself in. The cuts on her feet along with the melted boots had been removed but it had been incredibly painful and walking still hurt. She had refused to be in a wheelchair but Lion-O wouldn't hear of it. As far as her hearing, the cheetah was still having difficulties. Reading her friends' lips had been working but she ached to hear Sahara.

"Hey baby." Her husband greeted her with a smile. She smiled back as he kissed her gently on the forehead.

 _Hi_. She mouthed. Cheetara didn't want to talk for fear of not being able to gauge how loud she was talking. Lion-O could see the frustration in her eyes and wished he could do something for her. Tygra had had some hearing loss but regained his ability to hear the following day after the blast. Cheetara hadn't been so lucky and it was upsetting to both of them. At night, she refused to let him see but he knew that she was crying. He could hear her sobbing.

At that moment, Snarf walked through the control room doors. He was carrying Sahara. The poor little girl was screaming. She wasn't happy at all.

"I can't get her to stop. Her toys, her binky, her favorite blanket, nothing is working." The poor frazzled nursemaid told them. Lion-O scooped the cub up in his big strong arms and she calmed down some.

"She just wanted to see her daddy." He smiled. The little girl reached out and grabbed a tuft of her father's bright red hair and gave it a yank.

"Ouch. She has her mother's grip." Lion-O teased. Cheetara had seen his lips and chuckled.

"How are Panthro and Snarfer doing on the repairs?" He asked Snarf.

"Well when I brought up some of my famous lemonade, the two were still working on the first gun in the bay. They have replaced all the glass and they hope to get the one gun working by the end of the week." The snarf replied. Lion-O shook his head.

"Slow going. Well hopefully we can get more done soon. I'll be joining them shortly. I have to head to the sick bay anyway." The Lord of the ThunderCats sighed. Sahara pointed to her mother and said,

"Mama."

"Of course my little one. Here we go." Lion-O smiled and carefully handed the cub over to Cheetara. The cheetah took her daughter in her arms and the little girl smiled. Then she smacked her mother in the side of the head.

 _Ow_. Cheetara mouthed. That's when she noticed something.

"Sahara you know better than that." Lion-O scolded. His wife shook her head.

"Are you ok?" He asked Cheetara. It took her a few minutes to respond as the noises in the room came into focus. The machines beeped, the Kittens chitchat, Sahara's giggling; she could hear it all.

"Tara?" Lion-O's voice came to her and it was the best thing she'd ever heard.

"Oh Lion-O. I heard you." She spoke for the first time in the last two days. Her husband gave her a look of astonishment. He immediately got down on his knees and wrapped his arms around both of his girls.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you too." She told him. Their happy moment was cut short when the medical alarm went off.

"Lion-O, we have to get to the sick bay." WilyKit said from her seat. The Lord of the ThunderCats quickly stood up and grabbed the handles of Cheetara's wheelchair.

"Snarf, take Sahara and stay here. Watch the screens as well, everyone else, let's go." He ordered. The ThunderCats split up and went to the sick bay.

"What's going on?" Lion-O asked.

"I have to perform a C-section. I've lost the baby's heartbeat." Tygra told them as he applied a gas mask to Pumyra's face. She had to be under for the procedure.

"What can we do?" Cheetara asked.

"I need you to monitor her breathing and Lion-O, you'll have to help me with the surgery. Kittens, keep Ben-Gali calm. The last thing his body needs is a shock like this." Everyone quickly did as they were told. Lion-O handed Tygra a scalpel and the tiger made the cut.

Forty minutes later, the cub was in an incubator, breathing through machines. Tubes ran all over the preemies' body. Pumyra was still out from the surgery and pain medication dripped into her from an IV. Lion-O helped Tygra clean up everything and Cheetara had moved to Ben-Gali, allowing the ThunderKittens to go back to their station.

"So now what?" Lion-O asked, keeping his voice low.

"We have to hope that the baby is strong enough to pull through." Tygra sighed.

"What are the chances?" The lion wondered.

"About fifty-fifty right now. You weren't able to scrub up before the surgery and I'm afraid that one of them will develop an infection. With the baby's immune system so weak it could be fatal." Tygra shook his head.

"I didn't handle anything with my bare hands. I threw gloves on." Lion-O told him.

"Good then the chances are better but still with surgery, infection is always a risk." The orange tiger explained.

"Can the Extractor help?" Lion-O inquired.

"For Pumyra, possibly. For her cub, I'm not so sure. The poor little guy will be on his own for a long time." Tygra told him.

"So we're out of options?" The Lord of the ThunderCats asked.

"I'm afraid so. All we can do now is wait." Tygra let out a heavy sigh.


	21. Epilogue

Three months passed and slowly but surely Pumyra and Ben-Gali's cub gained strength. No longer did the little one need to be hooked up to a breathing machine but Tygra still insisted on seeing him everyday to check his progess. The rest of the ThunderCats were once again healthy and up doing their usual tasks. Panthro, Snarfer, and Ben-Gali had managed to get everything fixed and even designed a special cover for the main fuel tanks that was energy blast resistant.

Sahara was starting to walk on her own and it was quite obvious that she had inherited her mother's speed. Lion-O joked that he now had to someone to slow Cheetara down. He usually got a jab in the ribs for that.

The group now met in the sick bay for a special occasion. Pumyra and Ben-Gali had finally decided on a name for their little boy.

"So what are you going to name him?" WilyKit pestered.

"I'm not saying until everyone is here." The puma smiled.

"Sorry, we're late. I have the fastest two girls around and somehow we were late." Lion-O joked. Again he found Cheetara's elbow in his ribs.

"I'm going to have a permanent bruise there." He chuckled which made the rest of the group chuckle.

"Well since everyone is here, we might as well get on with it." Ben-Gali beamed.

"Yes please. I can't take it anymore." Snarf said.

"All right. You all saved his life and we wanted to honor you but we figured that his name would be too long and no one would ever be able to say it right." The white tiger started.

"His name is Tyler Lynx-O Gali." Pumyra smiled.

"Excellent choice." Lion-O nodded.

"Lynx-O would be proud." Panthro agreed.

"Indeed he would." Tygra beamed. Cheetara went over to her friend and gave her a big hug.

"One day you'll have to tell him who he is named after." She said.

"He will, trust me. He will." Pumyra smiled and hugged her back.

**The End**


End file.
